The RSVP Form block takes free sign-ups on an event page. Visitors type their name and email, and HappenBoard adds them to your attendee list and sends them a confirmation email.
Most sites have nothing to set up: every event page already shows the form.
Where the form appears
- On a block theme, the Single Event template places the form under the event description.
- On a classic theme, HappenBoard adds the form below the event content, unless the content already holds one.
There is no on/off switch per event. An event takes sign-ups wherever the form appears on its page. The block only works on an event page; anywhere else it shows nothing.
To move the form, or add it to one event only:
- On a block theme, open the Single Event template in the Site Editor to change every event at once. To change one event, go to HappenBoard → Events and choose Edit in full editor.
- Insert the RSVP Form block. It is in the HappenBoard category of the inserter.
- Save.
On a block theme, a form added to one event’s content is shown in addition to the template’s form, so avoid adding both. Building a single event page explains the template.
Choose the form options
Select the block, then open Form options in the block sidebar.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Show remaining seats | Adds a line such as “12 seats remaining”. It shows only when the event has a capacity. | On |
| Allow multi-seat RSVP | Adds a Number of seats field, so one person can book for a group. | Off |
| Maximum seats per RSVP | The most seats one sign-up can take, from 1 to 20. Shown when multi-seat is on. | 4 |
| Success message | Your own thank-you text, shown after a sign-up. Leave it empty to show HappenBoard’s, which names the visitor. | Empty |
The seat limit is enforced on your server too. A sign-up asking for more seats than the form allows is refused, even if someone edits the form in their browser.
What visitors fill in
- Date, on a recurring event only.
- Your name and Email, both required.
- Number of seats, when multi-seat sign-ups are on.
Visitors then click RSVP. The page does not reload: your Success message appears under the button, or by default a thank-you with their name, and their date on a recurring event. Once a sign-up is recorded, the form locks, so a double click cannot send it twice. If something is wrong, the message points to the field to fix.
The form keeps working on pages served by a cache plugin, as explained in the caching FAQ. With HappenBoard Pro you can also add your own questions to it.
Take sign-ups on a recurring event
On a recurring event (an event that repeats, like a weekly class), each sign-up is for one date.
- The Date list shows the upcoming dates, 60 at a time. Later dates and Earlier dates links lead to the rest.
- The date the visitor came from through a View link is picked for them. Otherwise it is the next date with free seats.
- A full date stays in the list, marked “(full)”, and cannot be chosen.
- The capacity applies to each date separately. The seats-remaining line follows the date picked.
- The same person can sign up for several dates, once per date.
A date that has started can still be chosen until it ends. To move someone to another date later, use Change date on the Attendees screen.
Set the number of seats
The capacity belongs to the event, not to the block. Set it in the event’s Capacity field (Maximum attendees in the block editor); zero, the default, means unlimited. See capacity and available seats for details.
- Only attendees with the status Going take seats.
- When no seat is left, the form is replaced by a sold-out notice, such as “Sold out: no seats remaining.” On a recurring event, this happens when every date listed is full.
- A sign-up asking for more seats than remain is refused, and the message says how many are left.
- On a translated site (WPML or Polylang), all translations of an event share the same seats.
There is no automatic waiting list. When an event or a date is full, the form stops taking sign-ups for it, and nobody is queued. The form never uses the Waitlist status: you set it yourself, from the Attendees screen.
One sign-up per email address
An email address can hold one active sign-up per event, or per date on a recurring event, whatever the language of the page. A second attempt is refused and points the visitor to their confirmation email. Someone who cancelled can sign up again.
When the form is not shown
- On a password-protected event, the form appears once the visitor has entered the password.
- An event that is over, has no upcoming date, has no date yet, or is marked as cancelled or postponed shows a one-line message instead.
- With HappenBoard Pro, an event that has tickets, free ones included, shows the Ticket Picker in place of the form (see selling tickets on the event page).
After a sign-up
- The person appears on HappenBoard → Attendees with the status Going.
- They receive the confirmation email right away, and a reminder before their date, as set in the automatic emails.
- Their personal cancellation link travels by email only, so only the mailbox owner can use it.
Next steps
- Managing attendees: check who is coming, change a status or a date.
- Automatic emails: what attendees receive and when.
- Attendee self-cancellation: how people cancel on their own.
- Protecting your forms from spam: the built-in checks and the optional captcha.